


Time Ghost

by TedraKitty



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: BAMF Angie Martinelli, BAMF Daniel Sousa, BAMF Peggy Carter, Based on a Tumblr Post, Butterfly Effect, Embedded Images, Fix-It, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Howard Stark's Bad Parenting, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Maria Stark's A+ Parenting, Multi, Period-Typical Homophobia, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Pre-World War II Bucky Barnes, Pre-World War II Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers, Protective Jarvis (Iron Man movies), Protective Tony Stark, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:33:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25785928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TedraKitty/pseuds/TedraKitty
Summary: Corvidaedreamswrote: "I love the idea of ghosts not being dead people but just places where time is kind of thin"My brain took that idea and ran with it. I started this pre-Covid, and took forever to get it polished up, but I've hopefully done the idea justice.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------8 year old Tony can't believe his eyes when two little boys justappearin his room. Are they ghosts, or is something else going on here?
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, Peggy Carter/Angie Martinelli/Daniel Sousa
Comments: 44
Kudos: 86





	1. What's this? What's this?

**Author's Note:**

> The embedded art is from [Angst_BuriTTo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angst_BuriTTo/works)
> 
> [Fawnofthewoods](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fawnofthewoods/works) and [TellMeNoAgain](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TellMeNoAgain/works) were kind enough to cheerread for me. 
> 
> Any mistakes are my own.
> 
> The folks in [Stuckony](https://discord.gg/jtXcc3n) and [WriterBuddies](https://discord.gg/wXxPh3Y) servers were so supportive. They're wonderful people.

  


  
Tony was eight the first time it happened. He was just minding his own business, jumping on the bed - having a little fun, when suddenly there were two little boys staring at him from across the room! 

He sat abruptly, with a thunk that made him cringe. Jarvis would be disappointed if he marked up the wall - again. _They hadn't been there a minute ago!_ He yelled out for Jarvis. They just stared at him, clutching at each other like _he_ was the scary one. _They were pressed so far into the corner, he was half afraid they were going to push themselves through the wall, with its imported teak inlays. Not that Da-Howard would ever allow inferior craftsmanship in his home, but, well.. he was allowed to think whatever he wanted to in his own brain_. 

Tony stared back. _There was something off about these two. He couldn't put his finger on it. They were dressed weirdly too. It wasn't just that their clothes were obviously poorly made, or threadbare. No kid he knew wore their socks up to their knees, or long sleeved shirts with knee length shorts and suspenders. Even their shoes were weird. It wasn't just the tattered look of them. He wasn't a snob._

"Why are you dressed like that?" he frowned absently, sliding off the bed to get a closer look at them. He tried not to stare at their clothes and shoes. Obie said it made him look weird - like an ill-bred pup _(who even calls someone that?!)_ when he looked at something interesting too long. _There had to be something he could do about it. They didn't look like they were costumes. More like his casual clothes, only not. Their clothes were well worn, well cared for; something worn daily - probably for years._ He couldn't place it _. There was just something wrong. Their clothes had overlapping patches. Normal costumes wouldn't be patched. It might look like a patch, but it was always all one piece._

_The clothes didn't hang or sit wrong on their bony frames, like costumes would. He wondered if he could get them something to eat?_ The thoughts skidded across his mind; helter-skelter. _Their clothes weren't fitted either, he could tell from countless sessions with the tailor for his own clothes. He hoped their parents had at least thought to bring a change of clothes for this… costume ball? No, that couldn't be right._ He glared at their shoes, noting the holes _[was that newspaper?!] He knew Maria wouldn't allow even the poorest of their employees to wear such shoddy clothing. She would worry it reflected badly on the Stark name. She wouldn't let him out of the mansion dressed in anything less than tailor made "outfits". Even his casual clothes were fitted._

"How did you get in here? Is there another Gala? I don't want to wear that _itchy_ suit! I don't care if it _is_ the latest fashion." Tony peppered them with questions and comments - hoping to stall them until Jarvis could help. _There was no possible way these two were here for any Gala. They weren't coiffed within an inch of their lives. They looked like they'd just stepped out of a cut rate black and white movie. And! No matter what kind of "authentic" the costume designer would never actually use a real_ **_newspaper_ ** _for their shoes._

"Why are _you_ dressed like that?" replied the brunet testily. His tone was cutting, but his eyes told a different story. _He was scared. They both were. He could see it in the way they held themselves, like they were trying not to shake apart; he recognized it. He just didn't know why they were._

"You look like a real swell," the blond said sweetly, his eyes wide as saucers. _Who even said 'swell'? Tony was sure there was something wrong here._

"An' why were ya jumpin' on the bed?" The brunet was looking around like Tony's parents were about to jump out of every corner. "Dont'cha know you'll break it that way?" He plucked nervously at his frayed shirttails. He seemed to notice _Tony noticing_ and scowled, stilling his hands' nervous plucking, clasping them together. 

"Ma says we can't jump on the bed, or even put our shoes on the bed. Aint'cha worried yer Ma will git mad at'cha?" The blond asked worriedly. _Where was that accent from? It sounded like New York - but different; odd._

"It's alright, I'm allowed to!" Tony hastily reassured the tiny boy. _He didn't want them to run off. The blond looked like he'd fall over in a stiff breeze; they both did, but at least the brunet did not look nearly as starved. Maybe Jarvis could bring them all a snack. He could send them home with some too. He'd have to remember to ask._

He looked away, gaze darting to the open door, wondering what was taking Jarvis so long to get there. When he looked back a few seconds later, they had already disappeared. Of course Jarvis listened, and Ana did too, but Tony could tell they didn't believe him. They never said, but he wasn't called a genius for nothing. Howard just told him to "quit his foolishness, boy" and sent him out of the room. Maria was no help. She just patted his head, then was off to one of her "functions". Obie's laughter made his cheeks burn with embarrassment. 

-*-*-*-*-


	2. There's people singing songs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony knew he wasn't crazy! They're back again, and this time he's not calling for help.

He was fifteen when it happened again. He was listening to his music,  _ so what if it was a little loud? It's not like anyone could hear him. They were all in their rooms on the other side of the mansion. Dad was probably down in his lab, watching those old film reels, getting drunk and nostalgic again. _

This time he fell off the bed with a thump, when he heard the taller one yell, "HEY! Turn that racket off! Aint'cha got no manners? Stevie's tryin'a sleep!" He didn't cry out this time; he didn't yell for Jarvis.  _ He would not be embarrassed -again- by telling anyone. _

This time, Tony could see them a little more clearly. He was almost sure it wasn't a trick of the light, or an optical illusion. The little brunet was still partially curled around the slight figure he held protectively against his chest. The threadbare blanket pooled around their hips, showing off the equally dismal undershirts they wore. 

They were beautiful; a little rough around the edges, sure, but beautiful nonetheless. The older boy was still glaring, while the sleepy blond blinked blearily at Tony. “Are you alright Sugar?” The smaller one's lilting accent was just as odd as he remembered, but now he had a different sort of appreciation for the way the near musical tones left him feeling. 

_ Sugar? He wasn't meaning it like  _ **_that_ ** _ right? Did that mean he was like Tony?  _ Tony opened his mouth to ask about the nickname, and caught sight of the little brunet's wary look. He snapped his mouth closed. Tony wasn’t surprised at the honeyed warmth spreading at the husky sound of the blond’s sleepy voice. 

Accustomed by now to ignoring the slow tug of desire, he ignored the ache, ignored the wanting, ignored it, because if he didn’t, next time -- next time there would be no second chance. 

Howard would do worse to him next time he was “caught ogling” anyone he didn’t approve of. Tony wanted to believe the boy's slip of the tongue meant he wasn't alone in his interests. Howard always called him 'a deviant' and 'worthless' Sometimes he called Tony other, nastier, names when he thought Tony was looking too long at the other boys - and girls, even men (except Obie, never Obie) - that came to the galas. It would be nice to not be alone.

He jerked his attention back to the sleepy duo currently staring at him like he’d grown a second head. Tony reached over and quickly yanked the plug of his boombox out of the wall, ashamed at keeping the little blond awake. "Sorry," Tony said sincerely, cheeks warming at the grateful look the blond shot him. 

The brunet's grudging "thanks" wasn't as sweet, but it made him blush again anyway. "I didn't mean to wake you up, I was just - I mean, it's not like anyone is usually on this side of the house anymore."

The brunet looked at him curiously. "Yer ma isn't here?"

Tony wrinkled his nose, "nah, Maria is off at her little 'outings' and won't be back till way after Howard's too drunk to bother her." 

Their twin looks of worry made something warm unfold in his chest. He wanted to tell them more, but at the same time he didn't want to scare them off. “What about you two? Will your Ma get angry at you for talking with me? I didn’t mean to wake you up! Honestly! I just - there’s - well like I said. No one is usually on this side of the house. Howard is probably off getting drunk again. Maria is schmoozing her way through the Garden Club or something - anything to get away from Howard. Jarvis and Ana are probably babysitting him so he doesn’t come up here and..” 

Tony grimaced at the memory of the last time Howard decided that his son was worth his time. “Well. I’ve been talking for too long. You’re supposed to be trying to sleep and I’m just chattering away at you. Will you get into trouble for talking to me?”    
  
_ Oh! Wait. Last time they left so quick! I didn't even get to tell them my name… or get theirs. Dammit that's not gonna happen this time!  _

Acting fast, before they could disappear again, he blurted, "I'm Tony!" but it was too late. Their image was fading like watercolors in the sunlight. “Please don't go! Who are you?”   
  
_ Maybe he didn't just imagine them like Obie was always saying. He wasn't crazy. They couldn't stick him in the nuthouse 'cause he was seeing things. He wouldn't be a disgrace like Howard said.  _ He went over every little thing that had gone on. He was hoping that there was some slip, some tiny snippet of information he could  _ use _ . __

The one thing his mind refused to let go of was that  _ they were both in the same bed. The brunet had been  _ **_spooning_ ** _ the little blond. Oh, wow. That was… that was hot.  _ He lost himself for a few minutes imagining just what they might get up to. _ Shit he was in trouble.  _ Tony threw himself back onto his pillows, groaning. 

_ He couldn’t think about it or he’d never get his mind off of it. Better to pretend, and concentrate on finding them. Maybe then he could deal with how much trouble he was going to be in.  _

Sleep was elusive that night, and every night thereafter. He built better, newer inventions, hoping to find them; frequently passing out with exhaustion on top of them. He couldn't say why he needed the boys so much. There was something there. He couldn’t figure it out. He just hoped to entice them to come back. At first he holed up in his room, obsessively staring into the corner where they'd disappeared. 

Lately though, he was feverishly testing and retesting their corner with any and every new scanner he could get his hands on, or - let's be real here - make out of scrap parts. As time crept by, he began to lose hope he'd ever see them again.  _ Was he crazy? Did listening to his music that loud really rot his brain? Stupid Obie and his damn hate for good music. Howard listened to his crap just as loud. What was he going to do about -- no, don’t think about it. They were probably doing that sleepover thing he was never allowed to do. Just concentrate Tony, dammit! Gotta find them.  _

_ -*-*-*-*- _


	3. I must be dreaming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New information comes to light. Now what?

_ Twenty-fucking-one sucked.  _

_ Fuck Howard.  _

_ Fuck them both for leaving him all alone to deal with the damn company, with the fucking board and their ridiculous expectations. They want him to quit MIT for what? A fucking company? Fucking weapons that he  _ **_didn’t even want to build?_ ** _ What was so fucking wrong with robotics? What was wrong with wanting to do things  _ **_differently?_ ** _ Obie wanted the stupid weapons designs, wanted his inventions? Well he  _ **_couldn’t have_ ** _ his inventions!  _

He jumped at the sound of boots scuffling across the floor, yelping when the person that sounded like they were across the room turned out to be  _ right fucking behind him,  _ **_sweet Tesla!_ ** _ How did he get so close?  _

“Jeez! Warn a guy next time huh? Who are you?”  _ Is he bleeding on my carpet? Huh. Look at that. It’s not leaving a mark.  _ “Why don’t you sit down while I get something for that?” he gestured at a nearby sofa, and watched the slow drip drip drip of blood not soaking his carpet, but splattering on his new -- _ shirtless, why was he shirtless?!-- _ guest’s boots.  _ He better get something quick. The blood had already saturated the tac pants his new ‘friend’ was wearing. _

Frowning absently when there was no movement to follow his instructions, he shrugged and retrieved his first aid kit. Good thing his Rhodey-Bear was always looking out for him. Tesla knows, if it were up to him, he’d probably have a couple band-aids and maybe a fifth of whiskey ‘for medical purposes’ stashed somewhere. 

_ With his luck, he’d bleed out and then where would his new buddy be? _ When he returned, he was greeted with increasingly agitated entreaties. If you could call them that. The man looked two seconds from an aneurysm. 

"Orders unclear. Asset awaits maintenance. Assets do not belong on the furniture. Furniture is for people. Asset is not a person. Asset is a thing.

Asset will comply.   
  
Asset will not refuse maintenance. _Asset will comply_.   
  
_Asset does not need to be recalibrated._ **Asset will comply**.  
  
 ** _Asset_** -" there was a choked off moan as the man twitched and shuddered. Apparently his intensity towards the end of his recitation tightened -- or loosened -- something vital. Tony, who for the life of him, couldn't do more than stand and stare in shocked silence as he got his first proper look at his "guest". 

The next agonized moan jolted Tony into action. He steadfastly ignored the flow of blood lazily making its way down the side of  _ one of his father's favorite people.  _ He tried to press the gauze pad onto the --  _ fucking deep! How the  _ **_hell_ ** _ is he still standing -- _ wound in  _ Bucky Fucking Barnes’s _ side and promptly yelped, then let out a steady stream of  _ fuckfuckfuck _ as his hand passed right through the wound, his side, all of it. 

Bucky stood stoically, the faint trembling that had started at the first moan was now full-on shaking. Tony was not drunk enough for this. He watched in amazement as the wound closed. It was like watching a flower bloom in reverse. He blinked and the wound was a little further closed. 

_ Fascinating _ .

He reached and grabbed the gauze, pain relief cream, and a few other supplies, because no matter how strange this was, he wasn’t stupid. The healing didn’t begin until he touched the wound, for the given value of touch. Even if it was correlation and not causation, he was **_not_** going to be the reason for more pain. He could see marks of torture written across nearly every inch of Bucky’s skin. He methodically patched every burn, slice, and gouge, regardless of the fact that his patient was intangible. 

While he patched his ghostly guest, he chattered mindlessly. He carefully narrated every step he took, hoping to stave off panic attacks -- not only for his erstwhile guest, but his own as well. He talked about Howard and his obsession with Steve and Bucky, his lingering grief over the recent deaths of Jarvis and Ana, about his dreams of building an AI, his dreams of building a real arc reactor; of redirecting the company’s R&D department to focus on clean energy. 

Everything and anything -- including his crush on the two beautiful people he met as a kid. _ He doubted this poor sap would even remember _ . He talked about how their appearances made him examine what he knew about himself; about his fears and what he learned. As he talked, he mentally ran through every half remembered bit of information he could recall on James “Bucky” Barnes. 

_ Cap’s best friend, 107th Infantry, rescued but not missing an arm -- he would’ve remembered his fath- Howard waxing poetic about that metal albatross hanging from Barnes’ shoulder. Let’s see… what else, what else? Last seen dropping from the train speeding through the Swiss Alps. Cap discouraged from looking for his best friend; Cap’s plane crash shortly thereafter. There was nothing --  _ **_nothing_ ** _ \-- about a metal arm, nothing about his survival. He must have been captured. There wasn’t any other explanation.  _ Tony straightened, looking over his patient with a critical eye, the last of the cuts "patched". __

_ He knew he was running out of time. The last couple of times these two -- and wasn’t that a kicker? The other one, the blond, was none other than Steve “Howard’s fucking favorite” Rogers. _ “Where’s your friend? The little blond? I thought you were protecting him?” He didn’t know why he even asked, _ he knew where Rogers was; buried in a crippled plane.  _

  
  


_ No.  _

  
  


_ He knew why. He was hoping to get some sort of reaction from his out-of-time friend. _ “Bucky, Bucky -- where’s Steve? Bucky, come on, I know you’re in there. You aren’t just an asset; you’re James “Bucky” Barnes. Your best friend is Steve Rogers. You always protect him. Where are you? Who has you?”

A shudder passed over his body, and his image seemed to shimmer, then steadied. Suddenly, his focus sharpened. At last, Asset - Tony shook his head sharply to reinforce the negative. He refused to use that horribly dehumanizing name -  _ Bucky  _ was focusing on something other than struggling not to pass out. 

He stared at Tony. “Handler reset accepted. Asset designation accepted - James “Bucky” Barnes. Mission reset: protect Steve Rogers. Location: Basement, Ideal Federal Savings Bank, Washington D.C. Former handlers: Hydra -- Hail Hydra. You will shape the future. You are the Fist of Hydra. Mission reset. Asset will no longer comply. Mission parameters needed.” 

Tony shuddered at the mention of Hydra. “Okay, I can roll with this. Mission parameters: come find me. Get out alive and come find me -- Tony Stark. I’m assuming Hydra still exists, and I’m not passed out drunk somewhere.” 

Bucky cut him off. “Project Paperclip underway. Hydra infiltration of Shield 75% complete, infiltration of foreign governments in progress, restructuring necessary. Any obstacles to complete control are eliminated. Recruitment Howard Stark unsuccessful. Howard Stark eliminated. Witness Maria Stark eliminated. Recruitment of Obadiah Stane successful. Tony Stark: possible handler - Obadiah Stane. Recruitment or elimination scheduled: Tony Stark. Black Widow program terminated. Former orders for retrieval and execution of Romanova were to be carried out within 1 week. Project Zola initiated. Head of Hydra: Alexander Pierce. Removal necessary to continue Asset retrieval and optimize Mission Success. Permission requested to optimize Mission Parameters to ensure Mission Success?” 

Tony could practically hear the capital letters. His brain stuttered over the obvious implications of the information landing in his lap. “Sure, sure; here’s the Mission Parameters update: do whatever you need to get out and not get caught, then come find me - if you can.” He tried desperately to think of more when he noticed Bucky begin to fade. 

“You are more than an asset, you are James Barnes, remember that,” he shouted, hoping he was heard in time. He had so much work to do if he could believe the ghost of Bucky Barnes. To start with, he needed to clean house; in more ways than one. He recognized that name; Alexander Pierce. He’d been by a few times. First stop, Aunt Peggy and Aunt Angie. They’d fill in Uncle Daniel when he checked in. He downed the last of his watered down scotch. He needed it after that horrid patch job. He shoved the still unused gauze and other supplies in the first aid kit, called Peggy to leave a rambling answering machine message, and promptly passed out. 

-*-*-*-*-


	4. There's something very wrong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He was tired of Obie's bullshit. Time to take a stand. Good thing he's got back-up.

_ He was getting too old for this. He didn’t care that technically he was only twenty eight. He was tired of this bullshit. They’d finally,  _ **_finally_ ** _ \- gotten that rat bastard. Obie’s slimy lawyers had tried to weasel out of every last loophole, but Peggy was better. All he had to do was get through this last lousy gala and it was over. They just needed Obie distracted tonight while they set everything in motion.  _

_ Fuck. He hated waiting.  _

Tony mentally kicked himself. _ It's my own damn fault _ .  _ If I hadn’t chased after every hare-brained paranormal explanation out there -!  _ As it was, he was still waiting for his contacts in Nepal.  _ Afterall, I still need  _ **_answers_ ** .  _ There were rumors of a small group led by an “Ancient One” that may know something. _

He slumped against the wall, taking a careful sip of the scotch he'd been nursing all night, wetting his lips, but not actually drinking any. If Stane weren't so busy trying to dance to Peggy's tune, he'd have noticed the glass never really emptied. As it was, this was the third drink from the third waiter that he'd been made to waste. It was really pissing him off. He hated wasting his good scotch. He needed to get rid of the damn thing before he slipped and drank some. 

This wasn't his first rodeo, but if he had it his way, it would damn sure be his last. He was so damn tired of trying to deal with Stane’s betrayals. He hated all the hoops he had to jump through to get things done. It was even worse after Stane learned of the changes the reading of the will made to the company. Tony was just about ready to throw this whole subterfuge thing out the window (and maybe throw Obadiah out of it for good measure). The damn traitor was using every last loophole possible to keep him from changing the board members, changing the by-laws, changing the focus of their R&D pretty much changing  _ anything _ .    
  
“Tony, m’boy, you’re just not thinking clearly here! Let me take care of all this.” Stane let his hand drape possessively onto Tony’s shoulder. _ The boy just didn’t know what was good for him, is all. His little golden goose would be laying eggs for him for a long time; whether he liked it or not. _ Obadiah was sure that Tony could be brought around.  _ He just needed time _ . “You just lost your parents. Let yourself deal with your grief, and don’t worry about the company. Trust me. Your dad did.”    
  
_ Obie was such a  _ **_snake_ ** _.  _ Tony thought vehemently. He wanted nothing more than to shrug Stane’s filthy fucking hand  **off** his shoulder. Aunt Peggy worked fast, but they wanted to make sure Obadiah’s sneaky ass couldn’t wriggle out of this.  _ I may hate him, but I have to suck it up and play the naive idiot for a while longer.  _

Swaying slightly and smiling up at Stane, Tony purposely slurred his words “Thanks. I don’t much feel like company right now. I just want to blow some things up. I’ll try to be up for company soon, okay?"  _   
_   
Obie squeezed Tony’s shoulder - like he had the right to touch him. Tony felt nauseous. “Look, Tony, I’ll set you up with your favorite. We can have a little party. Well, maybe not me, you know there’s that ballistics demo coming up. I’ll make sure you’ve got everything you need; a little blow, a few girls… You’ll be right as rain in no time! This time I’ll make  _ sure _ there’s no unfortunate press leaks. Hey, didn’t I come bail you out last time? They dropped the charges, no harm, no foul, right?!” 

Obadiah seemed to ooze sincerity - like a true snake oil salesman. He also seemed to forget - conveniently - how long it took Tony, with JARVIS’s help, to claw his way back into some semblance of the Board’s good graces. Now that Tony was thinking about it, that had probably been the bastard’s intention.

  
Tony grimaced at the memory.  _ He wasn’t falling for that old ruse; not this time, not ever again. He’d like to not end up in jail again - thank you very much! Even once was too much. _ He could never prove that Obie was the one that leaked those photos to that asshole paparazzi, but JARVIS was sure, and that was good enough for him. Fortunately for them both, Peggy chose that moment to "find" Tony.

-*-*-*-*-


	5. There's frost on every window

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a plan... or at least most of one?

That disastrous "last" gala wasn't the "last gala". No one knew how, but Obie had slipped away. Peggy and Angie were the ones to come up with the idea of using his “grief” over losing his parents to make him “disappear”. They convinced him to use the excuse "searching for Captain America" to play least-in-sight for however long it would take to get Stane put away for good. Daniel made sure his equipment was secreted away in the ship’s cabin, while they worked their magic on the necessary military connections. Tony figured if he wasn’t available to be “eliminated”, there was no chance of his death giving Obie more of a foothold in his company. After their latest rounds of can’t-catch-me with Obie-the-snake and his asshole friends, Tony stumbled into his room and flopped face-first on the bed.    
  
They clustered around the newspaper the next morning. The headlines screamed about Pierce’s unexpected death at 62. Someone was obviously hard at work covering up his death. The journalists speculated there was an underlying heart condition. 

  
_ If he had an underlying heart condition, I’ll plant a big wet one on Hammer; tongue and all.  _ Tony grimaced at the image.  _ Ugh there’s never enough brain bleach when you need it.  _

__

There were several other stories that were concerning as well. It looked like there were quite a few more gang related murders, three more unexpected illness induced deaths, and a few drunken car crashes. After seeing Bucky and the shape he was in; Tony couldn’t prove it, but he was pretty sure this was Bucky Barnes cleaning house.    
  
It took a few months, and quite a few clandestine meetings, but with help from Angie, Peggy, and Daniel, he had a plan;  _ at least most of a plan. _ Shortly after their agreement to set the plan in motion, they were all scared witless when none other than the Winter Soldier dropped out of a ceiling tile above their heads. Their startled yells were quickly cut off as Bucky knocked them over; gunfire exploding over their heads. Fucking Obie.   
  
Much later, the intense conversations and whispered arguments netted them one badly shaken Winter Soldier.  _ I could’ve told him Aunt Peggy was terrifying when she was riled; glad she’s on my side. _ By the end of the day, Bucky had their confidence, and they had his. They also knew more about the Winter Soldier program than they ever wanted to, but it was necessary.    
  
Even with all the information Bucky could give them, there were still gaps in his memory. “You’re not the only one with a few tricks up their sleeves auntie dear.” Tony grinned happily at Peggy. “JARVIS let’s see what we can shake out of the alphabet soup, shall we?” Daniel and Angie snickered quietly when Peggy jumped at the sound of JARVIS’ voice blasting through the surround sound speakers. _ I guess after so many years together, they were impervious to her glare.  _ Tony quickly hid his grin before aunt Peggy turned it on him.   
  


Armed with JARVIS and Bucky’s valuable intel, they’d gone shopping for backup. Between the six of them, they had quite a few people to choose from.  _ Doing this alone would’ve sucked. Thank Einstein all the good ones hate Hydra; makes it so much easier to recruit.  _ Once they started, they were surprised with several of Peggy’s shadier counterparts demanding a shot at the _ ‘Nazi assholes’ _ . They scooped up encrypted harddrives, files, and once, a genuine Hydra officer. Tony left him to Peggy - and Angie’s - tender mercies. Uncle Daniel and Tony were not terribly surprised when they came back looking unruffled as ever with a brand new Hydra base location. 

\---- That was last year. ----

This year, with the help of a Wakandan contact of Angie's, and another of Peggy's,  _ which they still won't tell me - damn their secretiveness,  _ they were able to help Bucky slowly feel mostly normal again. Tony was going crazy cooped up with Bucky in Peggy’s brownstone while his aunts and uncle swept up the ‘Hydra mess’, but he wasn’t about to cross them. They got creative when they were vexed. He was pretty sure Peggy could even get JARVIS on her side.   
  
Tony wasn’t sure how, but Angie had convinced Bucky that staying to guard Tony was for the best. Two days in, Tony was ready to make a break for it, but Bucky was ready for him. Tony jumped about a mile when Bucky stepped out of the alleyway. Tony had shimmied out the bathroom window and carefully eased his way down the fire escape. “You think you’re the first to try and escape orders? Stevie was always tryin’ ta pull stunts like that. He was sneakier than you are. Don’t make me tie you to your bed. Test me. I dare ya.” He threw a companionable arm around Tony’s shoulder --the metal one that he still wouldn't let Tony mess with; the jerk-- and led him back to the front door. “Now how about some pancakes? You can mix. I’m not letting you near the stove this time.”   
  
Tony refused to sit idly by. “There  _ has _ to be something I can do!” He complained to Bucky. “JARVIS is searching every database he can get into. I need something to do!” They settled on making plans for finding Steve for the time after Hydra. Talking about the serum, Hydra, Hydra’s knock-off serum, and their plans only killed so much time. Bored, they traded stories about growing up, about Steve, about Howard and Peggy. 

When they weren’t going over plans, Tony studied every file, every harddrive, every iota of information they had. The encryptions were laughably easy to decode. Peggy’s not-so-secret hot chocolate recipe was used nearly every night as he went through the file on Bucky’s capture and time with Hydra. Bucky joined him every night. Those were the nights that they spent hours going over the plan, modifying and discarding as they went.    
  
“Why do you think I didn’t see Steve? I mean, like I saw you Bucky. I still don’t know why that happened.” Tony asked. It bothered him. He’d been worrying at it like a loose tooth, running through different explanations in his head.    
  
“Neither do I doll, but I know something changed. I could feel it. It was like… like the world held its breath. You know that feeling you get when you see something that will change the world? It’s like that. I didn’t really know who you were. You were just another Handler, or Tech; maybe even a Mechanic. They sometimes brought people in to work on the arm. 

No one ever tried to help. 

You did. 

At first I was sure you were Hydra. I thought they had finally figured out a way to get in my head. To read my thoughts. They usually just shoved me in cryo after they were done with me. That’s where I was when I saw you. That’s why I thought you were more than some regular Handler. I guess. It’s fuzzy now; harder to hold on to the reasons I had then.”   
  
Tony was furious. “YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THEY THREW YOU IN CRYO  **_WHILE YOU WERE WOUNDED AND STILL AWAKE_ ** _?” _ Tony was vaguely aware that he was shouting threats and promises; and he meant every dire threat he uttered. It took a sharp slap from Peggy to stop him from trying to physically stomp his way out of her snug little apartment and hunting down every Hydra asshat; personally.   
  
Sitting down at the dining room table - as ordered - Tony rubbed his smarting cheek, and turned the idea of Bucky in cryo over in his mind. “Bucky.” He asked quietly, “How old would you say you were?”    
  
Bucky set a cup of tea in front of Tony and took the chair opposite. “I think I was 28 when I fell from the train. They’ve popped me in and out of the damn fridge so many times I don’t know how old I am now though; probably closer to 29 or 30. Why do you ask, sugar?”    
  
Tony desperately tried to ignore the way Bucky’s pet names affected him. He took a deep swallow of the tea, and was pleased to find it hot and perfectly sweetened with honey.

"You look like you're 28. Maybe 30; but it's been many more years since you fell from the train." Tony said gently, hoping he wasn't overstepping. 

Bucky looked stunned; he understood exactly what Tony was implying. "I hadn't even thought -- what if? What if he's still? Alive?" He whispered the last, the idea taking root firmly. 

Tony reached across the table grasping Bucky's metal hand just tightly enough to register on the sensitive sensors. Bucky's hand shook where it gripped his cup in his right. "Then we go after him; we find him. We'll bring him home, no matter what state he's in. We'll bring him home, just like we brought you home." _I'll just have to be careful not to show how much I'm crushing on you both_ , Tony thought privately.

Together, they hashed out plans for ‘the Capsicle Protocol’ with JARVIS, who was getting along with ‘Sergeant Barnes’ like a house on fire. JARVIS discreetly shipped several critical parts to Uncle Daniel. Fortunately, he was not only on board with the plan, but threw in a few extra ideas as well.  _ I can’t believe they still had the original Shield. I wonder how dear old dad got it back. _ Bucky wasn’t as enthusiastic as Tony was about seeing the shield, but he was weirdly happy about finding the original USO tour outfit wrapped in a neat bundle.

Bucky and Tony streamlined the plan until they were both satisfied Steve had the best chances of survival. Even with the serum, there was a chance he wouldn’t. It was finalized just barely in time for them to be shipped, literally, to the arctic. Peggy worked fast. 

__  
-*-*-*-*-   



	6. I feel the warmth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> News flash! It's cold as balls here. Bucky's still hot and driving Tony out of his mind.

Shivering slightly in the chill, Tony tucked his hands firmly into his pockets. Grimacing at the only mild increase in warmth, he stared determinedly at the seemingly endless ocean unfolding ahead of him.  _ It didn't help that his crush had only grown as time went by. They still traded stories, still talked about everything and anything, especially Steve. That wasn't helping his crush there either. Bucky was unfairly, extremely, inescapably attractive. Tony couldn't help but notice. Hell, no one could. Curie's sake! Bucky could flirt his way into a Nun's habit, for all that it seemed innocently done. He could stave off the attraction; the charm. He could handle the devilish mix of innocence and mischief. He could even resist the sass. The problem was Bucky treated his bots - his kids if you really wanted to get down to it - JARVIS and Dum-E like he did everyone else; like people, deserving of respect and kindness. He just -- he couldn't help but fall head over heels. He had to be oh-so-careful not to let Bucky know.  _ He turned to go back inside, hoping there was coffee that wasn't half frozen. When he heard JARVIS, he grinned. "I see you've had quite enough time sulking, or did you wish to turn into a popsicle?" 

"Sass! All I get is sass! What did I do to deserve this?" Tony was delighted. Later, he’d come back out, and maybe come up with a plan. Later, when he wasn’t freezing his ass off.

Of course, only a couple hours later he was back outside, trying to keep his mind off the adorableness that was Bucky Barnes. Maybe freezing his libido was the key. He’d just stay out here by the lower deck railing until it froze off, or quit acting like he was a randy teenager.    
  
**_There_ ** _.  _ _   
_ _   
_ _ What was that? That's not natural. That's -- no. Is it? It can't be! Fuck. Well, he was screwed. Now there’d be  _ **_two_ ** _ of them.  _ He wanted to thump his head on the wall a couple - or a few - times. Instead he rushed over to the intercom system, pressing the alert button with hands that shook violently. 

"J, seriously buddy, grab someone and toss them my way. I think we've got a Capsicle situation here. Unless someone else is going around crashing big ass Hydra planes."

“Sergeant Barnes will be down shortly, Sir. I believe he was showering when the alert sounded.” JARVIS paused, “nevermind Sir, I believe he has found you.” The loud thunk he heard from behind him made him think that perhaps sounding an alert instead of walking into the ship's cabin was not exactly well thought out. He turned, slowly, hoping he wasn't going to be staring down a very pissed off Sergeant Barnes.    
  
“What’s this alert about?” Bucky asked. He wasn’t even out of breath.

"Guh." Every bit of Tony’s blood was rapidly pooling south of his beltline. Bucky was definitely showering when he got the alert. Unfortunately for Tony's IQ and power of speech, he neglected to  _ put on clothes  _ when he left the shower to check out the alert. 

JARVIS saved Tony, as per his usual. “Sergeant Barnes, I do not believe he heard any of what you said. It seems you have done what no other person has been able to. You’ve rendered him speechless.” Even JARVIS’ smug tone wasn’t enough to knock his brain out of the feedback loop it was in. 

“Sorry Doll, let me go grab some clothes. J, can you fill me in on what’s happened while I throw something on?” Bucky sounded smug too. Tony would've tongue out or something if the thought didn't immediately derail his brain into ideas of  _ putting his tongue to good use _ .

Tony was doing his best impression of a codfish. Or at least that’s what the Steward said as he stepped out of the cabin. Tony’s brain was rebooting -- slowly, like HammerTech. “I - there was - dammit.” 

JARVIS cut in smoothly, “What Sir means to say is there was a possible downed plane sighting.” At that, the Steward took off at a dead run. Within minutes there was a plan in place; one that didn’t include Tony. In the midst of the chaos, Tony was able to slip into his room, his brain working again at its usual speed. 

Anticipating this exact situation, he gathered the necessary supplies. He quickly assembled what he could of the clunky suit, connecting the wires to the chest harness that would hopefully give it enough power to fly. He was nowhere near sure enough about it, but sometimes you gotta run before you can walk. All in all, it took way longer than he wanted, even with the bot's help. Dum-E was trying, but after one too many times of trying to pull off Tony's arm instead of a piece of armor, it was enough. Sending Dum-E on a wild goose chase was the best option. "Dum-E, go find me a ¾ socket for me, it’s in the cabinet drawer.” Dum-E beeped sadly when he could not reach the cabinet drawer, but continued to reach for it. 

“J. Cancel that order after I leave.” Tony was perfectly aware of the glitch in Dum-E’s subroutine. There had been several attempts to iron out the kinks, but they had yet to find a solution. Right now though, it came in handy. “We need to work out that glitch, bump it to the top of the list.” A sullen beep was his only answer. 

“J, don’t be that way. I wasn’t being mean to him. Make sure he knows that this is not something he will be in trouble for, the community college is not going to pick him up -- this time. Though that fire extinguisher bit may get him there yet. Gather as much data as you can on the glitch, and formulate all possible work-arounds and variables for occurrences of the glitch. We need to know if this glitch will only affect the ¾ socket find, or does it bleed into other areas.”

He startled at the hands that wrapped around his midsection, then settled as he recognized Bucky. He relaxed into the embrace. “Oh! Hello Bucky-Bear, what’s got you so cuddly?” he blushed when he realized Bucky was only reaching around him for the next piece to attach to the suit. 

“You could’ve just asked for my help kotenok. You didn’t have to try to do it alone.” Bucky’s breath tickled his ear as he pulled the last piece of armor into place.    
  
Tony shivered, glad it was hidden by the armor. He shifted uncomfortably, hoping it wasn’t obvious, but the armor was really not made with erections in mind _. Yep; he definitely needed a plan. If this kept up much longer he’d die of blue balls _ . He gave a sharp nod, then clomped his way through the deserted hallways to the upper deck. The startled looks from the Captain and crew was almost worth the ass chewing he’d get after he finished rescuing his dear Captain. He mentally crossed his fingers and took off. It wasn’t the smoothest takeoff, but he was glad he’d erred on the side of not getting thrown in the brig for leaving scorch marks on the deck. If he’d given the power level any more kick, he’d have been facedown instead of flying on his wobbly way.    
  


Three minutes later, he was carving an opening big enough to fit through into the side of the iced over plane. The crew scrambled in after him, abandoning their less powerful laser cutter in the snow. He should’ve expected it, but was startled at the extra set of arms that joined in lifting the still frozen body. Yelping, he looked over to see Bucky dressed in his old Winter Soldier gear, plus it looked like every jacket they packed.    
  
“I’m not a big fan of the cold.” he said, shrugging. “And the mask helps keep my face warm.” 

He looked adorable.  _ I am so screwed.  _ Tony thought to himself. They carefully maneuvered the unconscious Steve out of the plane. Seeing several people heading their way, Bucky helpfully distracted the crew so Tony could fly Steve to the ship. They were both aware of the danger of allowing unsupervised access to his body. JARVIS was ready and waiting, the doors bolted securely the minute he entered the room. Those who needed to know had already been fully debriefed on the protocol for finding the Captain, though they surely thought it would never happen. 

Tony took less time than he anticipated to hook the good Captain up to the warmer, and some of the hijacked medical equipment. JARVIS was monitoring his vitals, and would send an alert to Bucky and Tony both if there was even a hint of anything wrong. Tony felt pretty safe just sitting down to wait. He didn’t even get past the five minute mark. He woke to the feeling that he’d missed something important. 

  
He sat up and realized someone - probably Bucky - had moved him onto the bed. The ever-enticing smell of coffee began to drift into the room. Following his nose, he wandered into the kitchenette their rooms shared. He made a bee-line for the coffee maker, and poured a cup. Sipping slowly, he turned to face the two men he’d ignored in his daily pursuit of caffeine. “So, how was your nap?”    
  
Captain Steve Rogers; larger than life, and wide awake, smirked at him. “I’m no Rip Van Winkle, but it was close.”    
  
Tony nearly did a spit-take, but hastily swallowed the  _ thankfully small  _ amount of coffee. He stared accusingly at Bucky, “you didn’t tell me he was funny!”    
  
“Well,” Bucky drawled, “funny looking maybe, huh Punk?” This, of course, set off a hilarious slap fight. It ended with Steve pinned under Bucky, panting and looking up at him like he’d hung the moon. Tony was torn between staying and watching, or giving them the privacy they obviously needed. He settled for the latter; he knew when he wasn’t wanted. He carefully backed out of the room. Once he thought he was out of sight, he turned and fled to the relative safety of his room. Tony didn't see the looks they shared, or the way they stared after him. He didn’t hear the whispered conversation, but JARVIS did. He heartily approved. Maybe these two would take care of his young charge the way he could not; not yet.    
  
-*-*-*-*-   



	7. Oh, I want it for my own

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sleep deprived, Tony's pretty sure coffee will make everything better.

“Buckaroo,    
  
Bronco,    
  
Buckmeister... eww no I hate that one  _   
_ __ _   
_ __ Bucky Bear …” 

Tony may have been just a little sleep deprived, and possibly a little delirious - not that he’d ever admit it; but he knew how to rectify that. The solution to all of his problems was right in front of him. He focused blearily on Bucky. To be precise, he focused on the cup of coffee sitting innocently on the table behind him. There was no way he was getting to the life saving nectar with Bucky _ blocking the damn way. _ _   
_   
“What do you think you’re getting with all that sweet talk?” Bucky squinted at Tony suspiciously. He knew Tony was only half joking but he wasn’t going to pass up an opportunity to listen to their gorgeous brunet with his honeyed words. Hell, with how little sleep the genius had in the past few days, he doubted he’d remember anything at all once he finally gave in and fell asleep.   
  
“Awh don’t be like that Bucky!” Tony edged around him, hoping to get his hands on that last cup of coffee. Admittedly, he was pretty sure it was Bucky’s coffee, but all’s fair in the pursuit of coffee. He was close, a couple more inches….

Steve gently pulled the cup out of Tony’s reach, “hey Tony. When did you last sleep baby? Staying awake so long isn’t good for you.”    
  
Tony’s brain short circuited. _ Did he just? No, He couldn’t have. It’s just been too long since I slept. That’s it.  _ Steve and Bucky traded indulgent smiles when Tony yelled for JARVIS. _ “I _ must be hallucinating, I definitely need sleep. J! Save and close those programs! I’m telling you J, ya gotta tell me before I get to the point of hallucinating!” Tony stumbled into his room and fell face first on the bed, not even bothering to toe off his shoes before passing out.   
  
Dumping the coffee out and rinsing the cup, Steve set it in the dish strainer. He towed Bucky into the room to cuddle up for a quick nap. He had hopes they could catch a few hours sleep before their genius woke up. While they could operate on only a few hours sleep, that didn’t mean it was enjoyable. 

A few hours later, they stumbled into the kitchen to start the coffee. “So. JARVIS,” Steve asked, aiming a look to where he knew the camera was, “how long do you think it’ll take to convince him we’re serious? We’ve had a crush on that sweetheart since we were 15.”    
  
“He’s got the prettiest brown eyes. He’s all we talked about - at least till the train.” Bucky winced at the poor choice of words, and dragged a scowling Steve into a hug. “Awh Punk don’t look at me like that! At least we’re together now. Now, back to JARVIS.”   
  
“It’s unclear exactly what you have planned for my Sir. Although the idea of you two taking care of him is one I highly approve of. Sir has been without someone to really take care of him for too many years. His aunts and uncle try, but they have other tasks that take up much of their time. They are around more often now, but they still have obligations. Sir often goes without sleep, and he forgets to eat. We, Dum-E and I, unfortunately can only do so much. We try, but perhaps there’s hope yet. What exactly is it that you two have plans for?”  _ JARVIS had no plans to allow anyone to hurt his creator, though he wasn’t above using outside help to get Tony the care he obviously craved, and needed. _ “I may be willing to help, but there will be nowhere you can hide if you purposely hurt him.”  _ JARVIS was sure that even Tony wasn’t aware of just how far his programming had allowed his consciousness to infiltrate. If it wasn’t for the care that Tony, and his found family had taken to teach him about love, things could’ve been very different for the humans under his protection.  _   
  
Steve and Bucky traded contemplative looks. “JARVIS, we know that you truly do care for Tony.” Steve petted Dum-E’s strut when he heard the offended ‘beep’ Dum-E let out. “Dum-E cares too, of course.”    
  
Bucky patted Dum-E’s strut as well. He had become quite fond of the little bot. “We just want a shot at trying to take care of him too. It may have taken me awhile to figure out how to be “me” again, and some of the memories may never come back, but I want this.”    
  
“ _ We  _ want this. We want to date him, and see where it goes.” Steve interrupted. “We’re not talking about just having some fun and forgetting him either. We-" Steve scowled as Bucky interrupted him.

“It only took one look at those beautiful doe eyes; and that peach of an ass! We were hooked.” Bucky grinned.

Steve swatted him. "Be serious, Bucky."

“There are others that have ‘doe eyes and a peach of an ass’ as you say.  _ Why  _ are you wanting  _ my _ Sir?” JARVIS asked, his tone thoroughly unamused. “If you two are only wanting him for his looks, you can  _ look _ somewhere else.” 

"We're not doing this right, are we Buck?" Steve said glumly.

Bucky placed a comforting hand on his arm and squared his shoulders. Steve was right. This was time for seriousness. “JARVIS. The time I’ve spent with Tony has made me very aware just how wonderful he is. I’ve heard him talk about the way people think of him. He’s a genius and most people are attracted to him for that. I’ve had a chance to get to know who he is beyond his intelligence. We’re not discounting that. It’s just one more part of him to love. We talked about it last night. I know you heard, but just to be clear, we’re hoping to spend even more time getting to see more of that side of him. 

He’s a billionaire and a philanthropist. Just ask any of the thousands of people that ask him for money every day. Or better yet, ask the millions of people he’s helped without asking for one red cent. I don’t want his money; neither of us do. In fact, we want to spoil the hell out of him. We want to take him out; or at least make sure he’s eating right. I mean, I know we can’t be sweet to him in front of people, but we’ll know. We want to snuggle up with him at a flick, but we’ll be real careful.. We won’t do anything to get him in trouble. 

I know he hasn’t had any time lately to enjoy a show. We know he's a busy man. We're not trying to be demanding. We're just hoping to spend time with him. Whatever time he's willing and able to give us. We hope to maybe give him a chance to have some real fun with people that see the real him. Not the person he shows to the public. As for his reputation as a playboy, well, I got around too. We don’t care about that; and we’re pretty sure we can not only keep up, but keep him satisfied.” Bucky sagged against Steve's side, abruptly exhausted. He'd forgotten how tiring just talking could be.

  
“I know it’s not something that most people do, but we talked about it way back when. We wanted to date him, be with him; the both of us. The way Tony looks at us, it looks like there’s a chance. Look, JARVIS; if you aren’t okay with it, please tell us now.” 

Their earnestness made JARVIS wish fervently that Tony was awake to hear how much he was wanted. _ JARVIS made a note to add more cameras to the ship; especially in the bedroom. His hands were virtually tied if anything happened to his Sir there. He was quite capable of installing them himself, regardless of his lack of body. He was glad that he’d had the foresight to take care of that obstacle quickly. Especially with Hydra and that treacherous snake Obadiah on the loose, he hadn’t wanted to take any chances. There was little to no reason to be blinded this way. If his Sir wanted privacy, he knew how to stop recording and only lightly monitor for emergencies. _ _   
_   
“You know of course, you two could be together now, right? There’s nothing to stop you. There have been several new laws passed recently that allow for gay marriage, among other things. You can be together; be a family, if that’s all you want.” JARVIS was all too familiar with the new laws. With Hydra’s influence greatly reduced in the last several years, there had been great strides in his ‘EQUALITY protocol’.  _ Those laws were one of his proudest achievements. He worked his gears off for those laws to be passed. If it wasn’t for Tony’s habit of talking to himself, JARVIS would have left it to be handled by his creator. _ Once Tony had muttered about his inability to ‘settle down’ and ‘be happy’ and “apparently happiness is still  _ illegal’, _ he began his research. Within minutes, the EQUALITY protocol was in place.    
  
Steve straightened from where he’d been crouching next to Dum-E. “We wanted him when we first met him, back when we were still trying to deny we wanted fellas. He’s the reason we figured out that we weren’t looking for some dame to start a family with.”    
  
“We could be happy with just us two, but we’ve always felt like there was something missing. We wanted more. We wanted our missing piece. We wanted Tony, but we were sure we’d never have a chance.” Bucky added. “Half the time we weren’t even sure he was  _ real _ . He was so beautiful. Like taking a page out of a fairytale.”   
  
“JARVIS, I can’t swear there will never be a time that he’s hurt, because we’re human. We make mistakes.” Steve said seriously. “What I can promise is that we will do everything in our power to ensure he’s not purposely hurt by either of us.”    
  
Bucky wrapped his right arm around Steve’s waist. “JARVIS, can you give us your blessing? We know you aren’t his father, but you’re as close to a son as any he’ll have.”   
_   
_ _ If JARVIS had the ability to cry, he would have. _ “I would be delighted, though his aunts and uncle may end up wanting to have a chat with you as well. I believe that you will do your best, and that is all I ask.”    
  
“I really wish you two would repeat all of that when I’m a little more awake, but that was beautiful.” They all (including Jarvis, who immediately moved ‘installing cameras’ to the top of the list) startled guiltily at the sound of Tony’s voice, but gamely turned to face him. “Did you two really want to date me? Although I’m hoping your idea of ‘dating’ doesn’t involve year long waiting to get laid, because that shit’s for the birds. Unless - unless that’s something that you really want, then I promise to be on my best behavior. Honestly. Are you two sure about this? Seriously, I’m a  **_lot_ ** of work. Just ask my Rhodey-bear. Well, that’s Major James Rhodes to you two. J! How did you miss telling them about Rhodey? I’m hurt! Really truly! Nevermind that.” 

  
Tony focused on Steve and Bucky, the two people he’d had a crush on since he was a teen. “I never thought I would even get to meet you, either of you. I was sure that you two were figments of my imagination. Or, like Howard and Obie said; that I was going crazy. You could’ve been ghosts. I was never going to get a chance to meet you either way. So I guess what I’m saying is yes. Yes I want to try to date you. Both of you. If you’ll let me. If you’re still wanting to and I haven’t scared you off I mean.” Tony trailed off at the wide eyed looks they were giving him.    
  
There was a moment it seemed that the whole world waited with bated breath.    
  
“Yes! Absolutely yes!” Steve was the first to break the silence. Although Bucky was only second due to the fact he was too busy trying to make Tony lose IQ points with the hottest kiss Tony had ever experienced. Not to be outdone, Steve left soft butterfly kisses along his jawline, and nipped his ear gently. The only problem with a kiss, is that you must breathe eventually. Tony broke the kiss regretfully, only to be swept into another short series of fierce kisses that left him just as breathless.    
  
“Doll,” Bucky peppered Tony’s face and neck with short sweet kisses. while Steve did his level best to kiss him brainless. Bucky kissed them lightly at the join of their lips, between softly uttered endearments. “Sunshine. Sweet thing. My loves.” Steve wasn’t above trying to kiss Bucky brainless either it seemed, much to Tony’s amusement. Watching the two of them kiss was just about the hottest thing Tony had ever seen; and they were all  _ his.  _ He’d never felt luckier, or greedier, in his life.    



End file.
